


In the Dead of Night

by pudding_bretzel



Series: What is Family [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alfred just wants answers, Alternate Universe, Angst, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Bruce is emotionally instable, Dick Grayson is a Good Brother, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone gets the hugs they deserve, Family Reunions, Family taking care of each other, Gen, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Sad, Second Chances, but he tries, kind of, what if
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 23:29:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15326769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pudding_bretzel/pseuds/pudding_bretzel
Summary: Dick Grayson may not have been the best big brother in the world, but he'd definitely planned on doing better and spending some time with his little brother. But after the Joker captured said brother and killed him, Dick had lost any chance to spend time with him.But maybe the universe wants to give him another chance. At least that's the only way he can explain what he just witnessed.Or: Dick finds Jason the night he is resurrected.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first fanfic in this fandom. I don't read that many Batman comics, so my knowledge is based mostly on fanfiction's and what little I read. So please excuse me if any facts are wrong or any character feels ooc. Also, I don't know if what I found about driver licenses in america is correct. Feel free to tell me if not. That aside, I hope you like this one-shot.

The rain pouring down from the dark night sky over Gotham obscured the visor of his helmet and made it hard to clearly distinguish the lights of the street lamps, the traffic lights and their reflections.

With an annoyed huff Dick shook his head once more to clear his vision and steered his motorcycle through the streets of Gotham. 

It wasn’t like the rain was anything uncommon this time of the year. Autumn wasn’t a fun season in Gotham. Well, no season was really fun in Gotham, but autumn and winter really took the lead in the competition of ‘most annoying and life-threatening season of the year’.

It was November 1st. 

Not even 24 hours ago, Nightwing and Batman had had the most fun in a long time together, catching Scarecrow, preferably before he could unleash whatever dismay he had planned for the citizens of Gotham. So yes, you guessed right. It hadn’t been much fun. 

It was the first Halloween in a long time that the two of them had fought together. But considering their falling-out and the long time they had spent fighting solo or with different partners, they were still a good team. But the air had still been tense.  
If he’d had any choice, Dick would have refused to help Bruce. It was his city. He’d made it very clear to Dick that he wanted to be left alone. But after a very convincing call from Alfred he complied the old butler’s wish and accompanied his mentor.

And looking back now, he was glad he had. Alfred hadn’t overplayed with his concerns towards Bruce’s reckless behavior. The man had been downright brutal, throwing punches where it definitely wasn’t necessary and taking risks he would have given Dick an earful for back in his days as Robin.

If he weren’t still so mad at Bruce, maybe he could bring himself to stay longer and look after him, but the man really didn’t make the decision easy for Dick. Because it hadn’t only been the first time in a long time for the two of them together again. It had also been the first time for both of them without Robin.

Without Jason.

It’s been half a year since Jason went to Ethiopia. Went to find his birthmother. 

And died.

Dick still couldn’t fully believe that his little brother was really dead. When he was in Blüdhaven and didn’t think about it, he could almost pretend the little punk was still running wild in the manor. But he didn’t. Because he was six-feet under in a dark coffin. He couldn’t run anymore. He couldn’t do anything anymore.

He didn’t want to think about how Bruce and Alfred had to feel in the giant manor, only the two of them once again. 

He wouldn’t be able to stay there. Not with the reminder of what happened to Jason looming around every corner. The reminder that he’d had a little brother and hadn’t even cared enough about him to pull himself together and forget about Bruce and think about Jason for once.

Although he had. At least he’d planned to. Today, to be exact. He had planned to spent Halloween with his little brother. Watch some horror movies, play some pranks, spook the shit out of him. He even went ahead and bought a horror mask. 

And now it was one day after Halloween and he was on his way to visit his little brother’s grave. Because being at the manor was, just like he’d expected: Unbearable.

The rain increased the closer he got to the cemetery, as if Gotham was trying to convince him to turn around. But he had to go. It had been too long since his last visit and after the events of the last night, after seeing Bruce like that, he had to talk to his little brother. Or he just had to be alone. Probably the latter, but he wouldn’t miss the opportunity now that he was in Gotham again after such a long time.

He gripped the handlebars of his motorcycle tighter and took another turn, splashing the water onto the sidewalk. He couldn’t help but think that Jason would be 16 now. Old enough to drive a motorcycle himself. Not that he hadn’t already known how to drive, but he would have been legally allowed to now. 

Dick shook his head once more and concentrated on the slippery streets again. With another turn he finally arrived at the cemetery and came to a screeching halt next to the gates. For a few seconds he just sat on his motorcycle, head turned downwards, watching the raindrops flow down his visor.

Taking another deep breath, Dick got off his motorcycle and, with his helmet tucked under his arm, went to the gates and entered the cemetery. With slow steps he made his way through the muddy paths. Suddenly the downpour increased yet again and a bright lightning flashed through the night sky, followed by growling thunder. 

Dick ducked his head with the next thunder and felt a shiver run down his spine. The feeling of dread he’d had on his way intensified and with every step he took, his feet felt heavier. He couldn’t understand the sudden queasy feeling he had in his stomach. Yes, he hadn’t been to Jason’s grave in a long time, but that didn’t justify his uneasiness. He hasn’t visited his parent’s grave either in quite some time, but he’d never felt like this before.

Maybe Jason was just mad at him because of his long absence.

With his next step another growling thunder echoed through the night, accompanied by another loud noise. Dick froze instantly, because he knew that sound. He heard It almost every night when he was flying over the rooftops of Blüdhaven. 

A scream.

A terrified, trembling scream muffled and accompanied by loud sobbing and weeping. 

He quickly followed the sound to its source. The reaction was engraved into his muscles, was a part of him, instinct. Slowly but surely, he made his way to the graves of the Wayne family. The same place Jason had been laid to rest as well. 

Quietly Dick waited for another muffled sound. With growing dread, Dick followed the sound back to its origin and although his mind screamed at him, that this couldn’t be – _No, good god, please no_ – his gaze wandered to the grave only a few feet away from him. The grave with the gently smiling angel on top of it. The grave with the name _Jason Peter Todd_ inscribed. The grave which soil was moving, pushing upwards again and again, until finally the thing that had been pushing upwards emerged. 

With a hitched breath Dick took a step backwards, cautious of whatever has just emerged from his brother’s grave. Only with the light of the next lightning bolt could he make out what the thing really was. 

A hand.

A blood-smeared hand covered in mud and insects and other things he couldn’t make out from the distance. 

Followed by the hand was an elbow, an upper arm and finally the shoulder. With every inch that the arm emerged, Dick felt his stomach turn and make flips, because one part of his mind already concluded what was happening here. Another part was still catching up with the fact that he was standing in the middle of the cemetery, in the middle of the night and that _something was clawing its way out of that goddamn grave_.

He couldn’t move, he couldn’t breathe. His whole body was frozen, eyes glued to the scene unfolding before him. Deep down he knew that he should probably get away, because he couldn’t know for sure what that thing was, but he couldn’t. 

He watched and watched as the arm clutched at the earth and pulled. He watched as a second bloody arm emerged and helped the other pull. He continued watching when, finally, the head emerged and he could finally say, without a doubt, that it was a boy that had just clawed his way out of a grave. 

The boy or rather teenager, sucked in the fresh air and fell to the ground, his lower body still buried and started heaving and sobbing and weeping all at the same time.  
Dick knew the face of the boy. He’d already known who this was before the head had even emerged. He wanted to go to the boy, comfort him, but his body just wouldn’t listen to his commands. 

He’d just watched his brother, his baby brother, his _dead_ baby brother, crawl his way out of his own grave. 

He could hear the quiet whispers escaping his brothers mouth between his quick breaths and another round of heaving and sobbing, but he couldn’t make out the words.

“J-Jason?” Dick quietly asked. He needed to confirm if this was really his little brother. It didn’t make sense. It was impossible. But how could it be anybody else? Somebody would have had to exchange his brother’s corpse or coffin with another one and he was sure that Barbara would have noticed something like that. 

Right?

But there was no reaction. Nothing that indicated that Jason or the boy had really heard him. He just continued shivering, crying and whispering. Only this time Dick could hear what he was saying and it only confirmed his thoughts.

“B-br’ce. P-p-please… help.” He continued mumbling incoherent sentences, begging for help. For his father.

Another growling thunder finally awoke Dick from his stupor. His helmet fell to the ground with a lout and wet splash and he made his way to the grave in a few quick steps. He knelt down next to his brother, hesitating only for a second before he put a hand to the younger boy’s shoulder. 

At first, he didn’t react at all, but then Jason slowly turned his head slightly to the side, allowing Dick to have his first good look at Jason. 

His stomach flipped and it took all Dick had for him to not empty his stomach right there.

Jason’s face was covered in cuts and bruises, dirt smearing together with dried and fresh blood. The one half-lidded eye that looked back at Dick was bloodshot and swollen. He could see the remnants of worms and other insects in Jason’s disheveled, dirty hair. Spiders and bugs scuttling over his ripped clothes.

Dick’s mind came to a halt for a moment, taking in the battered form of his brother.

Dick didn’t notice the tears running down his cheeks and merging with the rain still pouring down on them. He didn’t notice his hands helping to free Jason from his earth prison and he didn’t notice his arms scooping up his little brother and holding him tight to his heaving chest, trying to shield the fragile and broken body from the world. 

What he did notice, was the constricting feeling in his chest, physically hurting him. He noticed the bloodied hand of his brother clinging to his wet jacket and crying in his shoulder, mumbling incoherent sentences, he didn’t pay any attention to, because he had his little brother in his arms again. He had Jason with him, here and alive.

The brother he had failed and thought lost forever, but whatever higher power had chosen to return to him.

It felt like hours that they spent in each other’s arms, the rain and the city around them forgotten. Only when Dick’s breathing slowly evened out and he felt Jason going limp in his arms, did he open his eyes again. 

Panic-stricken he looked down at his brother, scared to find him gone, everything only being a hallucination on his part or even worse, to find him dead again, but with a shaking sigh he found Jason still breathing. He was still there.

“I’ve got you, Little Wing,” he mumbled into the mess of Jason’s hair, pulling him close once again. 

His hand kept running small circles over Jason’s back. Whether it was to calm Jason or to convince himself that the other was really there, he didn’t know.

The feeling of his fingertips brushing over the muddy cloth almost didn’t register to him anymore, sensation in his fingers almost gone due to the cold. He felt the cold creeping up through his damp clothes and almost couldn’t suppress his shivering. Jason didn’t have as much strength, shivering violently in his arms.

Finally, it registered to him, that Jason had to be freezing, bordering on hypothermia after climbing out of his own– his own _grave_.

He needed to get him somewhere safe, had to get him help and checked out, remembering the gruesome bruises on his face and surely also on the rest of his body. He didn’t care about anything other than getting his brother to a safe place somehow. And he could only think of one person he could consult right now. Probably should.

He let go of Jason with his right hand and pulled his phone from the pocket of his jacket. Without looking, Dick dialed the number that was etched into his memory.

When the call was answered before the first ring had even resounded Dick spoke immediately, voice unsteady, but he couldn’t care less right now.

“Bruce, I need your help.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all: Wow! Thank you all so much for the amazing feedback on the last chapter!! You are amazing! I didn't have the time to answer your comments (I'll do it asap!), but I read every single one and they made me so happy! In fact, because of them I decided to write another chapter for this. This was meant to be a one-shot for me to fantasize about some angst and hugs for everyone (hence the many hugs in this fic), but your comments convinced me to write my thoughts down. Depending on my free time and my motivation I might write some more in this universe someday.
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy this second chapter and I hope it is satisfactory.

In the end it was a short phone call. 

He didn’t tell Bruce much. He couldn’t.

He didn’t know how and most importantly, if he did, he was sure that Bruce would declare him insane and never show up.

Probably.

The only information he gave Bruce were his whereabouts, that he should prepare the med bay and that he should come as Bruce Wayne. He didn’t need Batman, Gotham’s protector right now. He needed his mentor, Jason’s father and the grieving man behind all the charades of Brucie and the Bat.

The rest of the urgency of the situation was probably emphasized enough by his voice. Shaky and uncertain, stumbling over his words here and there with his freezing brother still in his arms.

Bruce’s reply was immediate. He’d come as soon as possible and Dick should stay where he was. Not that Dick had any other option. He didn’t dare to move Jason, still being in a daze about the whole situation. He hoped his mentor would take control of the situation soon and take care of everything. 

The rain had partially weakened, thunderclaps only resounding in a great distance off, when he faintly heard the creak of the cemetery gates. It didn’t take long until he finally heard the quick footsteps in the mud behind him. He turned around and saw Bruce running in his direction.

Even in the darkness of the cemetery Dick could make out his mentor’s expression. He really must have sounded fatally injured with the sheer terror displayed on Bruce’s face. He hadn’t seen this much emotion on his face in… ever. He couldn’t remember a single time that Bruce had ever looked that distraught and scared, the emotions clear as day on his features. 

Bruce came to a slippery halt next to Dick, crouching down. “Dick, what…” He didn’t finish his sentence, his gaze wandering off to the mess of a brother in Dick’s arms. 

Dick saw the change in Bruce’s gaze, his eyes hardening and all emotion leaving his features.

“I know this seems crazy, but Bruce, you need to–” Before he could finish his sentence Bruce reached out with his hand and pulled Dick away. Surprised as he was, Dick didn’t have the time to brace himself and hold onto Jason with a firmer grip. With a yelp he slithered through the mud and landed a few feet away from his brother.

When he looked up the next moment he saw Bruce looming over Jason, holding him in a fierce grip and pressing him down into the ground. Jason laid in the mud, now widely awake once again, his wide eyes unseeing and so afraid. He tried to struggle out of his father’s grasp, grabbing and scratching on Bruce’s arms with his bloodied and already ruined fingers. 

Dick shot up immediately and ran for his little brother. He grabbed Bruce’s shoulder and pulled, trying to get him away from Jason.

“Bruce, let go! You’re hurting him!” he cried out, panicking in the face of Jason getting more hurt than he already was.

Bruce looked at Dick over his shoulder, his features twisted in something between hurt and anger. “What is this? Explain, now,” he demanded and loosened his grip on Jason just a little. 

“Let him go and I will. He won’t hurt anyone,” he promised and waited for Bruce’s answer. 

If he wouldn’t let go of Jason on his own accord, Dick would make him. He didn’t care what it would take, but he wouldn’t just watch while his brother was hurt.

Slowly and hesitantly Bruce’s grip loosened and finally he let go of Jason. The boy immediately scrambled away until he was a safe distance away from them both. There he curled up and hugged himself tightly, shivering and crying.

“See?” said Dick, “he won’t hurt us.”

Bruce turned to him, his expression not that of a hurting father or confused billionaire but that of Batman, no emotions whatsoever. At least for the untrained eye of civilians. Dick could clearly see the small tremors running through Bruce’s frame and the hurt and confusion in the small flickers of his eyes.

“Explain.”

Dick took a deep breath, trying to calm himself and explained. At least as good as he could, considering that he himself didn’t know what was going on either.

“I came to visit Ja–” he stopped and looked over at his trembling and _living_ brother sitting a few feet away, confirming the last hour or so to be real once again. “I came to visit Jason’s grave and when I arrived I heard those screams a- and when I followed them they led me to his grave. I swear to you Bruce, I don’t know what happened or how, b-but he was alive. Somehow he was alive down there and I watched him dig his way out of there.” He watched as Bruce’s face closed of bit by bit the more he told him and he knew that his mentor didn’t believe one word. “Please Bruce. You need to believe me. It is Jason! I’m not making this up. Look for yourself, I know you already saw it too.”

And Bruce _had_ seen it. It was the only reason he had attacked the innocent boy in Dick’s arms mere seconds ago. Had their places been swapped – had he not witnessed Jason’s escape with his own eyes – Dick surely would have reacted in a similar manner. 

But he _had_ seen it. He’d heard his little brother’s terrified screams. For him there was no doubt that this had to be his brother. He knew it was no reasonable reaction and that he was lucky it was his brother and not a sick trap by any of Gotham’s villains. 

_Although you don’t know that for sure yet_ , the rational voice of Nightwing whispered in the back of his head. 

He ignored it.

Bruce turned to the shivering mess next to them. Dick watched as the hurt and pain in Bruce’s eyes slowly ebbed away the longer he watched the boy and made place for something akin to hope. He knew his mentor hadn’t had anything similar to that feeling in a long time. It looked right. Better than the grief and anger and pain that were a constant nowadays. 

“This is impossible,” he said, keeping his eyes on the boy.

“No, it isn’t,” Dick countered, remembering the countless heroes they’d already lost in their endless fight for justice and who had returned to them in inexplicable ways. 

With reluctant steps his mentor moved closer to the boy, who still had his head buried in his arms, his knees held close to his chest. Bruce knelt down next to Jason, putting a hand to his shoulder. The boy stiffened at the contact and tried to crawl even further away from Bruce. Quickly he removed his hand again and after a long moment hesitantly spoke in a quiet and soft voice that Dick hadn’t heard since that day so many years ago in Haley’s Circus.

“Jason.”

The boy’s trembling stopped instantly. With slow and sluggish movements did he uncurl and look up at Bruce. For a long moment nothing happened. Dick held his breath and watched as Jason finally slumped forwards into Bruce’s broad chest, his bloody hands curling into the fabric of the other’s black coat. His cries intensified and his hiccups melted with the noise of the city.

Time seemed to slow down as both father and son laid in each other’s arms, cherishing the moment, framing it in their memories to never forget. 

From a distance Dick felt his eyes tearing up, finally having a confirmation that he hadn’t gone crazy, because Bruce saw him to. Jason was really there. Or they both were under the influence of Scarecrow’s fear toxin without realizing it. But even if so, it was no bad hallucination. 

After what felt like an eternity Bruce slowly lifted his head and locked his eyes with Dick’s. Taking a few steps closer to the pair, Dick realized that Jason was asleep once again. 

“How?”

Dick looked back at his mentor and saw his teary eyes and his own confusion and relief mirrored in them. His voice had been barely more than a whisper, almost swallowed by the patter of the rain. It was everything Batman never was and everything Bruce never allowed himself to be. 

Vulnerable. Hurt. Emotional.

“I don’t know,” Dick said, his voice almost as quiet as Bruce’s, scared that any louder noise would wake Jason or– 

Or maybe himself.

He didn’t know how his brother had suddenly come back to life. How he’d crawled his way out of his grave, covered in injuries that had never healed. He didn’t know what magic or whatever else was responsible for his resurrection. But he knew that he was grateful. For being there when it had happened. For having the chance to hold his little brother in his arms once more and being a better big brother than before. 

“Alright,” Bruce mumbled, reaching into the pocket of his coat. With the other hand he reached for his ear. “Agent A, I have a blood sample for you. I need you to run a DNA test on it.” Because of course Bruce had a comm with him even out of costume. And of course he had his blood scanner with him. He swiped off some blood from one of Jason’s many wounds, sending the data to the batcomputer where Alfred would do his magic. Within less than an hour they would have the confirmation they needed to verify that this was really their Jason.

Dick didn’t hear Alfred’s response, but after putting away the scanner Bruce put an arm around Jason’s shoulders and under his knees, carefully lifting up the boy without as much as a grunt. Jason squirmed for a second, before settling down in Bruce’s arms, still clutching his coat.

“Where are you taking him?” Dick asked, somehow afraid he would lose Jason again if he let him out of his sight. 

But he wouldn’t let that happen. He’d be the most annoying brother on earth if it meant staying at Jason’s side. He wouldn’t waste this chance.

“Home,” replied Bruce, walking through the muddy earth with heavy steps.

Quickly, Dick went to run after his mentor, almost tripping over his own feet. “Wait! I’ll come with you.”

“Hn.” Without stopping, Bruce continued his way to the entrance of the cemetery. “Don’t forget your helmet.”

Dick snatched the now dirty helmet from the ground and followed Bruce out onto the sidewalk and to his car. Before Bruce could even try to somehow open the door without jostling Jason to much Dick opened it for him. Once Jason was settled in the back of the car Bruce froze in place, his gaze not leaving the battered boy. 

Dick couldn’t see his expression, but he could see his shoulders hunching up and Bruce hesitantly brushing through Jason’s hair with tentative motions. A faint tremor ran through the older man’s frame, followed by a shake of his head. As if trying to figure out if this was real or not. But as fast as the display of emotion had come, it was gone again. Bruce straightened and turned back to Dick. His expression was blank, except for the shimmer in his eyes that he hadn’t managed to hide from Dick’s schooled eye. He turned to open the door to the driver’s seat. “I’ll see you at home.”

“No,” Dick countered before Bruce had even finished his sentence. “I said I’ll come with you.”

Bruce turned to him again. “And your bike?”

“You seriously think I care about my bike right now?” Dick slammed his helmet onto the sidewalk and took a step closer towards Bruce. “My little brother just crawled out of his grave unable to even _talk_ coherently. They can dismantle my damn bike and set it on fire for all I care. I won’t leave Jason alone!” _Especially not with you_ went unsaid. It took all self-control he still had in him not to shout at Bruce and let this situation escalate like so many before.

How could Bruce seriously want him to leave Jason alone right now? And with him of all people. Jason would be better cared for with a brick wall than with Bruce.

He could almost hear Bruce’s teeth grinding against each other, his jaw set tight and his blank look replaced by anger and… hurt? Dick expected a counter from the older man, followed by another argument, but instead Bruce turned to the open car door and climbed in. “Get in,” he said before slamming the door shut.

Dick looked at the closed door for a few seconds, baffled by Bruce’s reaction. Of course he could hold himself back and be a proper adult when there were more important things than Dick to take care off. He clenched his hands, trying to calm down. They were both shaken by the night’s events and he shouldn’t hold Bruce’s words against the other man, he reasoned. Agitated as they were he should be happy the situation had diffused on its own like this.

When the motor started and the lights of the car turned on Dick hurried into the car. Instead of getting into the passenger seat he got in next to Jason, taking it upon himself to keep a close eye on him. Bruce wordlessly pulled away from the sidewalk and drove in the direction of the manor.

The drive was silent except for the small grunts or whimpers that escaped Jason’s mouth occasionally and made Dick’s heart lurch in his chest. After almost forty minutes they finally reached the manor, following the tunnels down into the batcave. 

Only a few minutes away from the cave Alfred opened a channel in the car and spoke with an unusual tight voice. “Master Bruce, I have a match for the DNA sample you sent. And if I dare ask, would you mind telling me why you sent me a blood sample of Master Jason?”

Bruce’s hands immediately tightened around the wheel while Dick’s heart made a leap. He turned to watch the sleeping boy next to him and couldn’t help the hand that ran through the other’s hair, similar to Bruce’s gesture before. This was real. This was really his little brother.

“We’re almost there, Alfred.” Bruce’s voice was shaky, and through the rearview mirror Dick could see that there were now tears freely running down his face. 

“Very well, sir.” Came Alfred’s voice through the speaker. Dick couldn’t help but think that the butler suddenly sounded drained and so much older.

They entered the cave only seconds after Alfred closed the channel again. After the car came to a halt next to the batmobile, Dick got out and found Alfred already waiting for them. 

“Hey Alf,” Dick said, holding back the tears that threatened to escape his eyes, as he walked up to the butler and held him in a crushing embrace. Alfred tentatively patted Dick on his back and returned the hug, seemingly surprised to see him. 

“Master Dick, what a pleasant surprise,” he said and after being released from the embrace continued with the same drained voice Dick had heard over the comm only seconds prior. “You wouldn’t happen to know what Master Bruce refuses to inform me about?” 

“I do and you don’t have to worry, Alf. They're good news, trust me.” Dick turned back to the car to see Bruce rounding it, the sleeping Jason in his arms. It was so strange to see his brother breathing again and he was sure it would take some time getting used to, but he was grateful, so grateful for this.

Beside him he could hear Alfred’s sharp intake of breath. “Oh my.” The butler’s hand clasped around Dicks shoulder for support, his British composure crumbling. “Is that…” 

The only response he got was a jerky nod from Bruce, who seemed unable to utter any words. He was visibly fighting his emotions, trying to return to the stoic control of the Batman.

“It’s Jason, Alfred,” he finally said, giving up his inner battle and venting his feelings. “We got him back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that you have read the chapter (thank you so much for that by the way!) I need your unbiased opinion on the two major dissatisfactions I had with this chapter.  
> First: The blood scanner... I really couldn't think of anything else and in all honesty were too lazy to look up anything similar in the comics or other media. Please tell me if you cringed at the term or/and if yes, if you know a better term, I would be very grateful. :)  
> Second: The canon cases of resurrection. I was (who'da thought it) too lazy to look through the comics and find out which hero was when resurrected. So, if Jason was, in fact, chonologically the first one to be resurrected (which I highly doubt) than also please tell me, I'd be grateful yet again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To probably no ones surprise, I decided to write a third chapter for this.  
> With this chapter this fic is finally complete (for real this time, I promise!), but there will be more in the series, don't worry.  
> Thank you again for your great response on the last two chapters! You all are awesome!!  
> I hope you like this chapter as much as the last two.

“Cracked skull, severe brain damage, shattered sternum, collapsed lung and about forty other fractures. Furthermore his hands suffered severe damage while clawing out with multiple broken fingers.” Dr. Leslie Thompkins took a deep breath while reading out the long list of Jason’s injuries. “Most of his injuries should heal with time. However, I can’t promise anything regarding his mental condition and the brain damage. In his current condition I can’t say for sure in what state his mind is.” She looked up from her clipboard, regarding the still form of Jason on the bed next to her. “Only time will tell. For now this is all I can do for him. Call me when his condition changes, I’ll come as fast as I can.”

“Thank you, Leslie.” Bruce stood on the other side of Jason’s bed, holding the boy’s hand in his slightly trembling one. He’d barely let go of it since Jason took up residence in the bed a few hours ago. “We will.”

Leslie nodded and quickly packed up her utensils. Before leaving the room she turned around once more, regarding the sleeping form of Jason one last time. “I still can’t believe this is really happening.” She turned to look at Bruce, now sitting in a chair next to the bed. “I hope you know how lucky you are, Bruce. Don’t waste this chance.” 

With that she turned and left, leaving the room in complete silence except for the rhythmic beeping of all the monitors and medical equipment hooked up to Jason.

Dick waited until he couldn’t hear the doctor’s footsteps anymore before letting out a quiet and humorless snort.

Lucky.

He wouldn’t describe their current situation as lucky. Not at all.

Yes, it was a miracle. He got his dead little brother back. But at what cost?

The euphoria he’d felt from the moment on he’d realized it was his brother crawling out of that grave had quickly blown over the moment Alfred had decided to call Leslie. The butler had been in over his head. Jason’s injuries were just too severe for him alone to handle. He hadn’t known what to do. Too many broken bones. Too many fractures. 

Too personal. 

Once Leslie had finished her treatment and told them the full extent of Jason’s injuries Dick had felt his blood drain from his face. 

The queasy feeling in his stomach had yet to leave him while he regarded Bruce. His mentor’s face was blank, all the emotions he’d allowed himself to feel earlier drowned out by the severity of the situation. The older man’s hand was clasped in Jason’s bandaged one, lying limp on top of the sheets. Dick let his gaze travel up the arm until he looked into the sleeping face of his little brother. His head was heavily bandaged, blood already seeping through on the left side of his head – they would have to change the bandages soon. His eyes were each covered with a gauze pad, band-aids all over his face and a respirator aiding his breathing.

His brother couldn’t even breathe without help.

In what universe was _this_ luck?

Clenching his fists, Dick abruptly turned and left the room, leaving the two occupants to their own accords. He needed fresh air, needed to wrap his head around everything. He knew, deep down that yes, this was something good. His happiness from before wasn’t unfounded. He just needed time and space to see this for what it really was. 

A second chance. 

A second chance for every single one of them. For Dick to be a real big brother. For Bruce to be a real father and maybe, just maybe for Jason to grow up and have a real family.

Jason only had to climb this last mountain in order to get his chance and Dick would do everything he could to help his brother in his ascent.

***

The chilly spring breeze ruffled through the curtains. With a deep sigh Dick stood up and walked over to the window. In the middle of march the wind was still cold enough to make him shiver under the grey sweater he wore. He took another deep breath, inhaling the many scents that carried over from the blooming gardens of the manor. 

Soft sunbeams escaped from between the clouds in the sky, slowly warming Dick up.

“Looks like it’s gonna be another sunny day. Maybe Babs can come over today. That’d be nice, right, Jay?” Dick said and turned back to the still form of his little brother. 

Jason was lying on his bed sleeping peacefully. At least that’s what it looked like. In fact, Jason had been in a coma ever since that night almost five months ago.

When they’d realized that he wouldn’t wake up anytime soon it had been like another blow to the gut. First, he came back covered in injuries feeling like he’d break apart in Dick’s arms and now it was like he’s never come back in the first place. The only things indicating that he was really alive were the heart monitor, showing his steady heartbeat and the wounds that had slowly healed over time, just as Leslie had told them. 

But aside from that, Jason was dead to the world. 

Dick pushed himself off the windowsill and went back to Jason’s side. “I’ll ask her later. I bet she’ll be thrilled to continue your book. You can call yourself lucky if she hasn’t already finished the book on her own. She seemed to really enjoy it. What's it called again?”

He continued rambling, talking about anything and everything. He’d long since become used to talking to Jason in his current condition. He knew he wasn’t going to get an answer to his questions and he knew that Jason probably didn’t even hear him. But he didn’t care. It calmed him to talk to his brother and remind him that he was really there.

At the beginning he’d barely been able to look at Jason, much less enter the boy’s room. But over time he’d become accustomed to it. They all had.

Bruce had unsurprisingly reacted badly to Jason’s comatose condition. Dick had seen the happiness and hope in his mentor’s eyes die the very second he’d realized the fate of his son. Bruce had, if only for a short time, truly believed that he’d gotten his son back and everything would return to normal. He’d still been tense and irritable during patrol in the beginning, but he’d been better than before November 1st. But after Jason hadn’t woken up, he’d immediately fallen back into his self-destructive behavior from before, if not worse. 

Every second he didn’t spend in the cave, at WE or at patrol he spent in Jason’s room. Sleep was something he rarely allowed himself, mostly relying on small naps taken in the chair next to Jason’s bed. Most of the time those naps were only thanks to Alfred either persuading Bruce to sleep or helping the matter along with his own methods. In other words, some tea mixed with light sedatives.

Alfred was his usual self or at least he did a damn good job at acting as such. Only in moments when the elderly butler thought he was out of sight did he allow his walls to crumble and mourn the family he was slowly but surely losing. In those moments it took everything Dick had in him to not walk over to the butler and give him some comfort. But he didn’t know how, because how could he pretend to his grandfather-figure – the one thing holding their family together – that everything was fine, when it was clearly not. 

Dick looked back down at Jason’s expressionless face. The bandages had come off a long time ago. Even the respirator had been removed a few months ago. When Dick shut out everything else he could pretend that his brother was simply sleeping.

He took a seat in the chair that had taken residence on Jason’s bedside ever since his return and grabbed one of the four books that were lying on the nightstand.

It had become somewhat of a ritual to them to read to Jason. Everyone had their own book, their own little story to share with Jason. Something only between the two of them. Every evening one of them would sit at Jason’s side and read to him. In the past months they’d managed to read through many books. And now Dick had decided to finally start reading the book Jason had always told him to read.

He quickly sent a text to Barbara before he opened the book in his hands, ‘ _The Fellowship of the Ring_ ’, continuing to read where they left off.

He read until the hobbits had to bid farewell to Tom Bombadil and finally reached the village Bree. Once the end of the chapter was reached he closed the book and looked up from the worn-out book cover. A quick look at the clock on the other side of the room only confirmed his fears of having lost track of time. They’d been reading for nearly two hours. He quickly looked at his phone and sure enough there was a message from Barbara, saying she’d come over this evening. 

His lips curling up the tiniest bit, Dick sent her a quick answer before informing Jason of the good news. “See? I told you Barb couldn’t wait to continue– ” After looking up from his phone Dick’s words died in his mouth instantly. His throat closed up, making it impossible to utter a single word.

He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Jason on the bed, looking back at him through half lidded and tired eyes. Slowly Jason’s mouth opened and Dick followed the movement with his eyes, unbelieving of what he was seeing. He finally woke up! The moment they’d all been waiting for and had already started to believe would never come true had finally arrived.

Maybe the only thing escaping Jason’s mouth were wisps of words, more breaths than anything else, but he was awake either way. His hand twitching at his side and his toes digging into the covers.

A shaky laugh that had more resemblance to a sob escaped Dick as he slumped forwards and enfolded Jason in his arms. The other didn’t return the hug, but the small breaths against his neck was enough for Dick. It was everything he needed in this moment.

He could only hope this was finally the moment they’d been waiting for. The second chance he’d hoped for almost five months ago.

He let go of his little brother, who was still, understandably, very drowsy, and gently placed him back into the soft cushions of his bed. “I’ll be back in a second, don’t worry. I’m gonna go get Bruce and Alfred.” He placed a quick kiss on Jason’s forehead before dashing out of the room and down the hallway. His legs carried him through the manor to Bruce’s study where he hoped to find the man only to be greeted by an empty room. 

“Dammit,” he muttered and quickly made his way to his mentor’s bedroom only to find it empty as well. He could only hope that Jason would stay awake long enough for him to find the two older men. After checking the library, Alfred’s bedroom and several other rooms without any results he was almost ready to give up and return to Jason, when he faintly heard voices coming from the entrance. 

_Barbara_ , his mind supplied as he made his way to the opened doors where he found Alfred as well as Bruce standing in the open door.

“Bruce!” He called out. He was already preparing for the emotions that would undoubtedly ensue after he told them the good news, when he saw that it was not Barbara who was standing in the door. 

No. It was a small boy, black hair in a short haircut and blue eyes landing on Dick the very moment he came to a halt behind Bruce and Alfred who’d both turned to him with tense expressions. 

It took Dick several moments, his mind still with his little brother in the room upstairs, before he finally recognized the boy.

The boy he’d gotten to know the night his parents died and who’d helped him solve a case so many months ago. The boy who’d begged him to return to Gotham and resume the mantle of Robin once more for the sake of Batman and Gotham. 

“Dick, this is– ”

“Tim Drake,” Dick interrupted his mentor.

Timothy Drake continued looking at him, admiration and respect in his gaze. But his eyes quickly shifted and settled on something behind and above Dick before widening to the size of saucers. 

He could see Alfred’s and Bruce’s eyes wandering to the same spot, the both of them almost simultaneously tearing up. It didn’t take Dick much to guess what they were all seeing, but it still didn’t save him from the onslaught of emotions overwhelming him the moment he turned around and saw Jason standing at the top of the stairs, bracing himself on the handrail. 

“Jason.” Bruce barely finished whispering his son’s name before he darted up the stairs towards Jason. 

His mentor stayed still for a moment, seemingly trying to assess whether to give in to his urge to hug the boy or not. 

Dick couldn’t see anything beyond Bruce’s broad shoulders, but he could hear the faint rasp of Jason’s voice resounding in the silence.

“Dad.”

That single word was all it took to break Bruce’s walls. He engulfed Jason in his arms and sunk to the ground, the boy still safely in his arms. 

Dick felt the grasp of Alfred’s hand on his shoulder and he couldn’t help but be reminded of the night almost five months ago. Only this time he felt like things would finally go in the right direction.

Their second chance had finally started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, but this is all we're gonna get from Tim in this fic, but I at least wanted to introduce him in this chapter. He'll have more appearances in later fics. (Barbara as well, probably... I don't know yet. We'll see.)  
> I read a bit about Tim's first appearance in the comics and how he convinced them all to take him in as Robin and tried to include it a bit. Don't know if it feels too forced, but I always liked that connection between Dick and Tim from that night in Haley's Circus.
> 
> If you're interested, the other three books on the nightstand were: To kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, As you Like it by William Shakespeare and The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen.  
> And as always, thank you all for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks a bunch for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. I'm open for criticism and tips, so don't hesitate to leave a comment.  
> You can also find me on [tumblr](https://pudding-bretzel.tumblr.com/), so come and yell at me!


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